It’s been a busy two weeks. I took a road trip with a friend, celebrated my parent’s 55th anniversary, my dad’s 77th birthday, sat through my son’s IEP meeting and helped with a luncheon at his school, and even did a minimal amount of planning for an upcoming trip and possible high schools for the boy. Gage had a day off of school and I took him with me to sort donations at the library and he worked hard without complaint!
Posts
Books Finished
The Talk by Darrin Bell. 5/5 stars, Graphic Memoirs, 352 pages, 2023
This graphic memoir is SO good!
Bell has a white mother and black father and it’s his mother who is the one to first tell him that when world will see him as different. She embarrasses him when she causes a scene calling out bias and yet his father remains largely silent when he needs to hear from him the most. This book starts when he is 6 and has a run in with police and they take his water gun and ends after the George Floyd murder when he has to decide if it’s the right time to have the talk about race with his own young son.
Bell was the first Black editorial cartoonist to win the Pulitzer Prize. Highly recommend. Its’s engaging, touching, honest, brave.
Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets For Helping Kids on the Spectrum by Temple Grandin and Debra Moore. 4/5 stars, Autism, 384 pages, 2021.
This book manages to do many things well. It will benefit parents, teachers, or anyone who knows or works with a kid with an autism diagnosis. In the 9 mindsets it also has something for every stage of the child, from child to older teen. I especially like the section on the medical comorbidities, too often treating the medical issues is completely overlooked.
Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas. 4.5/5 stars, Historical Romance, 371 pages, 1993
I loved this book, but both main characters did some horrific things to each other. I will read and most likely love anything she writes.
Michelle Obama: Her Essential Wisdom. 4/5 stars. Quotes, 128 pages, 2019
“That is the power of our differences to make us smarter and more creative. And that is how all those infusions of new cultures and ideas, generation after generation, created the matchless alchemy of our melting pot and helped us build the strongest, most vibrant, most prosperous nation on the planet, right here.”
The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter. 4/5 stars, Menopause, 400 pages, 2021
I’m not in menopause, yet, but I am of a certain age so I wanted to prepare myself. In many ways I wish I hadn’t 🤣. I wish I could say reading this made me feel empowered, but mostly it just depressed me. I’m glad I read it and I’m glad I’m done reading it. I took some useable knowledge and am better off for it. Make sure you’re taking extra calcium ladies!
Currently Reading
Movies
On my weekend road trip we went to the grand old theater in town and finally saw Killers of the Flower Moon. Yes, it was 3 1/2 hours and I had to get up for a 10 minutes break in the middle, but I really liked it. Lily Gladstone was phenomenal.
We watched Little Italy on Netflix. It had a fun cast and some laughs.
Plans for the Weekend
The SUPERBOWL!
Stacy's Books 
I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to see the new Hunger Games prequel, but if you say it was good…
I do want to read The Talk. I’m glad to see you liked it so much!
I think you’ll like the Hunger Games prequel. It’s different, but you can feel the same world. The Talk was fantastic. Enjoy!
I saw Killers of the Flower Moon earlier this year. Just like you I had to take a break. However, I thought that the movie was deeply moving . Lilly Gladstone was amazing. The movie is now on Apple Plus. I will watch it again with 2 pauses.
I’ll probably watch it again with Jason. Eventually.
I pretty much loved anything I read by Lisa Kleypas too. I do still have a few books on her backlist to get to one day
I’m so glad I have so much of her backlist to read!